Suture.



J. A. BIGELOW & L. F. CHAPIN.

SUTURE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 23. 1916.

1,250, 1 1 Patented Dec. 11, 1917.

I 720611 20117 Janna/4.5 {962010 Z01 z'JfChapz'n 4 iiangg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. monmw, or WALTHAM, AND LOUIS F. CHAPIN'. or NEw'roN CENTER, assacnusnr'rs, ASSIGNORS T0 w. n. YOUNG & 00., mo, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A.

CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SUTURE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES A.-B1GEL0W and LOUIS F. CHAPIN, citizens of the United States, residing at Waltham, county of Middlesex, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Newton Center, county of Middlesex, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sutures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to surgical instruments, and particularly to sutures.

The present invention is an improvement in surgical needles of the type in which a ligature and a needle are securely joined without the formation of a fold or bend in the ligature, and without the requirement of an eye in the needle to receive the ligature, and it is important to so connect the ligature to the needle as to eliminate as far as possible the formation of any abrupt shoulders or angles in the surface of the needle adj acent the j ointure therewith of the ligature, and to avoid as far as possible the exposure of the surface of the ligature at its connec tion with the needle, and thereby to furnish a surgical needle which, when being used in operations, will make a small aperture in the tissue being operated upon, and which being free from rough surfaces and sharp angles will therefore cause less pain to the subject during the operation, and permlt of more rapid operation.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a suture in which the ligature is so connected to the needle body as to avoid the making of an aperture in the sensitive tissues being operated upon of any larger size than is absolutely necessary for the passage of the needle, and to provide a suture in which the needle and the ligature are so connected that the end of the ligature is substantially encircled, inclosed and covered, so as to practically eliminate the exposure of the inserted end of the ligature, and to provide a suture in which the'penetrating needle presents its surface from end to end, so that in passing through an aperture in the tissue being operated upon there are no sudden and abrupt shoulders presented to the tissues'at any point in the length of the needle vwhile traversing the aperture in the tissue.

In the accomplishment of the objects of Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec, 11 191'),, Application filed May 23, 1918. Serial No. 99,450.

of a. previously flattened or swaged end.

of the needle, this swaged portion being subsequently formed or shaped into a tubular part which is substantially parallel to the main portion or body of the needle, and

which is adapted to receive and to be firmly closed down upon an inserted end of a ligature to securely attach the said ligature to the needle, and to cover the inserted end of the ligature in a manner to be free from acute shoulders or projections which might tend to enlarge the aperture in the tissues unnecessarily, and also cause unnecessary pain during the operation.

A form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in v which:

Figure 1 is a perspective .view of the needle and a portion of the attached ligature forming the suture.

Fig. 2 is a plan View on an enlarged scale of a portion of the needle and the attached ligature- I Fig. 3 is a side elevation of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a plan View of the needle flank showing the swaged sheath-forming end; the needle being shown on a scale somewhat smaller than the scale of Figs. 2 and 3.

It is very desirable to provide a surgical needle, and especially to provide a suture which may be used in various surgical operations, such as gastroenterostomy and intestinal, which will, when in use, form an aperture in the tissues of as small size as consistent with the requirements of the case l in hand, and to provide a suture in which the ligature is firmly attached to a needle in a manner which will eliminate as far as possible the formation of acute or abrupt shoulders at the point of juncture of the ligature to the needle, and in the following description a suture is described in which a straight needle is referred to, although in practice the contour of the needle may be changed or varied as may be readily understood according to the nature of the case to be operated upon, and also it is obvious that any suitable material and character of ligature may be employed in the construction of the suture. T he suture herein disclosed embodies a straight needle 2 of suitable length and diameter as the proportion may require,-

having a suitable point-3 at one end, and

connected to the needle at the end opposite a the point 3 is a ligature 4 which may be gut,

. silk, etc. The ligature 4 must be securely atlutely necessary, and one manner of accomplishing this attachment of the needle and the ligature consists in shaping one end of the needle in such fashion that an end of the'ligature is joined to the needle in substantial longitudinal alinement with the body of the needle, and thus eliminates any bends or folds at the point of connection of the ligature to the needle.

By the present invention, the ligature 4 is not only connected securely to the needle 2 without any fold or bend, but also so connected to the needle that the portion of the ligature which is engaged by the needle at the point of juncture is substantially encircled and covered, and in a manner to eliminate'any acute or abrupt shoulders in the needle at the portion to which the ligatureis joined.

In accomplishing the jointu-re of the ligature and the needle, the latter is first flattened down at one end as by swaging or in any other suitable manner, to form the flattened portion 5 at one end, this flattened portion being of such proportions as to length, width, and thickness as to permit of its being rolled or otherwise shaped to form a sheath or inclosing tubular portion 6, nearly coaxial with the needle body, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, to encircle and preferably cover an inserted end of the ligature 4. When the flattened portion 5 has been rolled or shaped to form the sheath or ligature-receiving portion 6,-

of the needle 2, the longitudinal edges 7 of the portion 5 are brought into juxtaposition to overlap and encircle the inserted end of the ligature 4 as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and the inner divergent shoulders 88 of the swaged end 5 of the needle are thus brought inwardly over the innermost end of the inserted ligature 4 to substantially cover the same and form a smooth and continuous surface at the inner end of the ligature and zone 9 of juncture of the inwardly curved edges 7 of the sheath 6 adjacent the downwardly and obliquely inclining surface 10 formed in the body of the needle 2 and from which the flattened end 5 of the needle was swaged down.

In forming the ligature-receiving sheath 6 on the end of the needle 2, when the parallel edges 7 of the flattened or swaged portion 5 are brought inwardly toward each mac ,114

other by the rolling or curving of the por tion 5 to form, substantially, a-tube, any abrupt shouldzer 7 above and adjacent the inner end of the inserted ligature 4 is eliminated by firmly closing the parallel edges 77 of the rolled portion 5 together and down upon the ligature as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and by pressing the divergent shoulders 88 toward each other, over the inner end of the ligature in front of the oblique surface 10 of the needle in such a manner that the upper portion of the sheath 6 has its axis slightly offset with relation to and parallel with the axis of the needle 2.

-This offset relation. of the sheath 6 as to the body of the needle 2 is clearly shown in Fig. 3, in which the upper surface of the sheath 6 is shown as below the plane of the upper surface of the needle 2 and the lower surface of the sheath 6 is in a plane slightly lower than the lower surface of the body 2; the offset portion of the sheath 6 and the body of the needle 2 being connected by a slightly-inclined joining portion 11, Fig. 3.

The purpose of this offset is to dispose the inturned ends 8 of the sheath behind and below the plane of the downwardly inclined portion 10 of the needle so as to be protected and covered substantially by thisoverhang in the use of the needle and to avoid leaving any abrupt tissue-engaging surfacesexposed at the juncture of the sheath and needle. The shoulder 11 left at the lower side of the juncture is smooth and rounded and in itself offers no impediment to the assage of the needle through the tissue. Thus the ligature 4 is connected firmly to the needle 2 by a tubular or sheath portion 6 which is rolled or shaped from a previously flattened or swaged portion at one end of the needle.

The sheath 6 is adapted to be closed upon and firmly embraced, and to substantially cover an inserted end of a ligature 4 without the formation or occurrence of any sharp or acute angles or shoulders in the length of the needle from end to end, and in such a manner that there are no exposed or projecting portions or surfaces of the inner end of the ligature at its point of juncture and attachment to the needle 2.

It is understood that owing to the small size of the article forming the subject matter of the present invention that the drawings have been considerably enlarged for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the details of construction of the needle, and it will therefore be understood that the relative lateral offset of the ligature-receiving sheath 6 will appear somewhat exaggerated in comparison to the degree of the offset actually existent in the needles, in which in their usual size, and more particularly in the smaller size needles the lateral offset of the tubular sheath with relation to the body of the needle as indicated at the inclined portion 11 will be hardly noticeable to the eye.

Various modifications in the form and construction of our invention may obviously be resorted to if within the limits of the appended claims.

WVhat we therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A suture comprising a needle and a ligature, the needle having at one end a sheath to receive and clamp the inserted end of the ligature, said sheath being integral with the needle and formed from a flattened endvshaped to encircle and embrace the inserted ligature and close upon the same to secure the needle and'the ligature together, the axis of the sheath beingslightly offset laterally from and parallel with the axis of the needle, to dispose the upper surface of the sheath below and behind the overhang of the needle at the juncture of sheath and needle so as to be substantially covered thereby.

2. A surgical needle having a pointed body provided with an inclined surface and with a tubular ligature-receiving end formed serted end of the ligature in protective relacovering and clamping sheath slightly oflset relative to the axis of the needle to position the inserted end of the ligature and the forward end of theupper surface of the sheath below the plane of the corresponding surface of the needle so as to be covered and protected by the overhang thereof at the juncture of sheath and needle.

4. A surgical needle having a body portion pointed at one end and formed as an ofi'set tubular ligature receivin and clamping sheath at its other end, sai sheath having transverse inturned shoulders at one end adapted to be closed upon the inserted end of the ligature to substantially cover said end and to lie below the plane of the upper surface of the needle so as to be covered and protected by the overhang thereof at the juncture of needle and sheath and to provide a substantially smooth, continuous covering for the ligature end which is free of any abrupt tissue engaging surfaces at the juncture of sheath and needle.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES A. BIGELOW. LOUIS F. CHAPIN.

Witnesses:

MARY P. WOTHERSPOON, VICTORIA LOWDEN. 

